


Enchanted (To Meet You)

by caspeter



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, not actually written by me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 01:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11430711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caspeter/pseuds/caspeter
Summary: She was correct, he was tall. He had several inches on her, even in her tallest pair of heels. He was wearing a white button down shirt, slacks, a black tie and a casual suit jacket. She finished off the rest of her martini and put her arm through his, looking up at him with a playful smile.“Craig Manning, for the night, you’re dating a model.”





	Enchanted (To Meet You)

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer time !! i didn't write this, it was written by my friend who wanted me to post it.   
> my sweet apprentice i have clearly taught her my crackshipping ways well

Leaving Degrassi and moving to Paris was the best thing that ever happened to Mia. Not just because it boosted her career, but because she could give Isabella a better life. Before the modeling came in, Mia always had to say no, not to teach her that she couldn’t have everything she wanted, but because they couldn’t afford it. Now, they were able to buy nicer things without worrying about breaking the bank.

Every so often (more often than Mia would like) she had to attend parties with ‘very important people’ as her manager said. So she would dress up in a nice cocktail dress, and walk around acting as though she cared about being there. Most of the time the guests were creeps who wanted to try and feel her up, forcing her to politely excuse herself from the conversation and go find the bar.

Tonight, the cocktail dress was dark turquoise, her hair was hanging perfectly straight in a slick, high ponytail, with dark eyes to compliment the outfit. She had a couple shoots in L.A., and her manager thought this party would be great exposure to bring her to the states. Excusing herself from her conversation with a guy, whose hand was traveling a little too low for her comfort, she made her way over to the bar.

“I’ll have a martini please.” Mia said, flashing the bartender a sweet smile. He nodded his head and turned to work. Sitting on one of the bar stools, she glanced around the room, her eyes falling on the man sitting several seats down from her.

He had short, dark hair, sharp jawline, and looked pretty tall. He was swirling the liquid in his glass around, looking exceedingly bored with what was going on around him.  _ That makes two of us. _ Mia thought, taking the drink from the bartender and handing over a couple random bills as a tip. Taking a deep breath, she stood and approached where he was sitting.

“This seat taken?” She asked, a smirk playing on her lips. He slowly looked up at her, eyes widening slightly when he got a better look at her.

“Uh, n-no. Go right ahead.” He said, motioning for her to sit down. He let out a deep breath and threw his head back to take in the rest of his drink – whiskey – and held the glass up so the bartender could see. “I’m Craig, Craig Manning.”

“As in Craig Manning the singer?”

“The one and only.” He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “And you’re Mia Jones.”

“That would be me. What brings you to this trashy event tonight?” She asked, crossing her legs and tilting her head as she lifted her martini up to her lips.

“My new album is coming out soon, I’m supposed to be promoting it. But here’s the thing,” He leaned in close like he was going to be sharing a secret, “Everyone here sucks. At least, the men do. If you’re not an attractive woman, they aren’t going to give you the light of day. So, here we are now, no progress whatsoever.”

 

Mia stared at him for a moment, pursing her lips before taking another sip of her drink. “Maybe you just need a little help.”

“From who?” She raised her eyebrows and his eyes widened again. “From  _ you _ ? Like they’re going to believe you’re voluntarily here with me.”

“I came over to talk to you didn’t I?”

Craig seemed to think about her words for a moment, before finishing off his second glass of whiskey and putting it down on the table. “What the hell?” He shrugged, standing up and holding out his arm for her to take.

 

She was correct, he was tall. He had several inches on her, even in her tallest pair of heels. He was wearing a white button down shirt, slacks, a black tie and a casual suit jacket. She finished off the rest of her martini and put her arm through his, looking up at him with a playful smile.

“Craig Manning, for the night, you’re dating a model.” He chuckled to himself and began walking in no particular direction. She figured just as much as he did that with what she was wearing, someone was going to approach them. They hadn’t been walking long before someone did approach them. He was an older man, with a receding hairline and a horrid beard. She could see Craig inwardly roll his eyes as he got closer to them, the shock on his face clearly fake.

“Well if it isn’t Craig Manning! I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight!” He patted the dark haired singer on the back. “Gosh it feels like forever since the last time we’ve spoken. I didn’t know you were seeing someone!”

“Oh, I’m Mia Jones. We try to keep our relationship low profile.” She smiled, holding a hand out to shake the man’s hand. Unsurprisingly, he leaned over and pulled her in for a hug, his hands hovering a little too low to her bottom for Mia’s liking.

“I’m Eugene Wilson, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You look awfully familiar, have we met before?” He asked, pulling back, although keeping his hands resting where they are.

 

Mia giggled, gripping his wrists and pulling his hands off of her, leaning closer to Craig, wrapping her arm around his middle. “No, but you’ve probably seen pictures of me. I’m a model. I do most of my work in Paris but I’ve been trying to bring my work over here.”

“Well then I hope I see more of you!” Eugene smiled, looking at Craig. “You picked a good one buddy!”

“Ha, well, I’d say she picked me more than I picked her. Anyways, I wanted to ask you about something…” Mia began to tune out the two men as they spoke to each other, something she tended to do at most parties. Looking up at the brunette, she took in some more of his features.

He had hazel eyes, which had always been her weakness. And his smile was always warm, even when it was forced. He had a little bit of a stubble, something she didn’t seem to mind at all. He was very handsome, and she could tell he must have been a hit with the ladies in High School.

_ High School. _ That was something that Mia was fresh out of, though she didn’t act like it, or even look like it. It hit her suddenly that she had no idea how old Craig was, and he probably didn’t know how old she was. And if he did, he certainly didn’t care that she wasn’t even 20 yet. If she had to take a guess at how old he was, she would say 25 at the youngest.

“Yeah, alright, give Tim a call and I think we can work something out.” Craig said, flashing another fake smile at Eugene.

“It was nice seeing you again Craig. And it was  _ very _ nice to meet you Miss. Jones.” Mia nodded politely and watched the older man stalk off, waiting until he was out of sight before letting out a snort.

“God he’s pathetic.” Mia laughed, shaking her head lightly.

“He’s a pathetic man with a boatload of cash. Some of which is now going to sponsoring my album.” He smirked for a second before frowning. “I’m sorry he got that close to you though, I was actually going to hit him if his hands got any lower.”

“It could have been worse.” She shrugged, tightening her ponytail. “Alright boyfriend, who’s next on the list?”

* * *

By the end of the night, Craig had gotten plenty of verbal agreements, and Mia had gotten more than plenty of lingering hugs. At one point, Craig eventually started pulling her closer to him after the hugs, which she knew was him telling the other guys to back off.

“That, was the most fun I’ve had in a long while.” Mia giggled, leaning against the singer as they left the hotel.

“Oh yeah, I have a feeling I’m going to remember this night for a long time.” Craig chuckled, loosening his tie. “Do you need a cab? I need a cab. I think I’m a little bit too inebriated to drive myself home.”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like walking all the way back to my hotel.” She replied, standing and allowing Craig to hail a cab. “It was great meeting you, Craig.”

“I hope I get to see you again sometime soon.” He smiled, opening the cab door for her. When he went to close it, she grabbed the handle.

“Let’s split it.” She scooted over and made room for him to get in. After telling the driver where they were going, they sat in a calm silence until Mia finally cleared her throat. “So, uh, I know a lot of people say age doesn’t matter, but just so you don’t get freaked out or whatever… I just turned 19 the other month.”

He was silent for a moment before responding. “I just turned 23 last month. That’s not a terribly large age gap. I did think you were older though.”

“I thought you were older too.” She blushed, laughing to herself. “And you’re going to get a kicker out of this one. I have a 5-year-old daughter named Isabella. Her dad’s a deadbeat and that’s the whole reason I got into modeling.”

“Well if she looks anything like her mother she must be stunning.” He smiled, turning his head to look at her. “You’re trying to scare me away.”

“Not exactly, just telling you now; giving you an out if you want it. I haven’t dated much since I’ve been a model because of her.” As the cab came to a stop, she smiled at him. “You’re the first guy who doesn’t seem so scared though.”

“That’s a story for another time.” He smirked, putting his hand on the back of her neck. “For now I’m going to leave you with this.”

And then he pressed his lips against hers. It was a soft kiss, and it was sweet. It wasn’t very passionate, and she could taste the whiskey on him, but it was more of a promise. A promise that for next time, and that he wasn’t going to ignore her just because she had Isabella.

He pulled back and smiled at her, slipping a card into her hand, watching her get out of the car and walk towards her building. Craig didn’t plan on tonight going as well as it did, but he finally met someone who was able to let him have fun and be himself for once.


End file.
